Every pet business in Australia deals with the same headache at least a dozen times a year: public holidays.
Is Easter Monday a closure day or a premium-rate day? Does your state observe the Queen's Birthday in June or September? Did anyone remember to block out Boxing Day before online bookings started filling the calendar?
It is a small administrative task, but the consequences of getting it wrong are real. A client books a groom on a day you are closed. A walker's roster shows availability when the whole team is off. You charge standard rates on a day you should be charging penalty rates (or not working at all).
Petboost now handles all of this automatically.
How It Works
Automatic Holiday Population
Navigate to the new Public Holidays page and Petboost fetches every upcoming public holiday for your state or territory. Not a generic national list: the actual holidays that apply to your jurisdiction, including state-specific ones like Melbourne Cup Day (VIC), Recreation Day (TAS), or Reconciliation Day (ACT).
The system uses your business address to determine your primary jurisdiction, but you can select additional states if you operate across borders. Multi-state businesses (a mobile groomer who covers both Sydney and the Central Coast, a franchise with salons in Melbourne and Brisbane) see the combined holiday calendars.
Visual Week Grid
Holidays are displayed in a visual week grid that shows exactly when each holiday falls in relation to your normal schedule. You can see at a glance whether a holiday lands on a typically busy day, whether it creates a long weekend, and how it affects your capacity for the week.
Each holiday shows the official name, the date, the day of the week, and which jurisdictions it applies to. National holidays are distinguished from state-specific ones.
One-Click Blocking
Select the holidays you want to observe, choose which team members and resources to block, and apply. Petboost creates the blocked time entries across your entire team in one action. No more opening each team member's schedule individually to add a "Public Holiday" block.
You can be selective: block all holidays for your groomers but keep your daycare team available for premium holiday sessions. Block your facilities but leave mobile team members unblocked. The control is granular but the action is fast.
Holiday Presets in Blocked Time
When you create blocked time from anywhere in Petboost (a team member's schedule, a resource calendar, the scheduler), a new Holiday Presets section shows upcoming public holidays. Select one and the date, time, and label are pre-filled. No looking up dates, no typos.
Integration With Overlap Detection
The public holidays feature works with Petboost's existing overlap detection system. When you apply holiday blocks, the system checks for existing appointments on those dates and warns you before proceeding.
If a client has already booked a groom on Good Friday and you decide to close that day, you will see a clear warning: "3 appointments exist on 18 April 2026. Review and reschedule before blocking."
This prevents the worst case: blocking a day and forgetting to notify the affected clients.
Why This Matters
For Groomers and Salons
Most grooming salons close on public holidays. The common approach is to remember to block those days out at the start of the year, or worse, to remember each one as it approaches. With automatic holiday population, your closure days are set up correctly from the moment you open Petboost.
For Daycare and Boarding
Daycare and boarding businesses often stay open on public holidays, sometimes at premium rates. The holiday grid gives you clear visibility of upcoming holidays so you can plan staffing, adjust pricing, and communicate with clients well in advance.
For Dog Walkers
Mobile dog walkers across multiple areas may observe different local holidays. The multi-jurisdiction support ensures each walker's schedule reflects the correct holidays for their operating area.
For Multi-Service Businesses
A business that offers grooming, daycare, and walking can block holidays differently for each service line. Close the salon on Boxing Day but run a skeleton daycare crew. Block the walkers for New Year's Day but keep boarding care running. The flexibility matches how real businesses actually operate.
The Full Picture
Public Holidays Management is part of a broader effort to make schedule management in Petboost more intelligent. Combined with overlap detection, sibling booking capacity, and recurring series management, your calendar is becoming increasingly self-aware: it knows when you are busy, when you are closed, when capacity is shared, and when conflicts exist.
The goal is simple: you should never have to think about whether your calendar is correct. It should just be correct.
Available Now
Public Holidays Management is live for all Petboost businesses. Navigate to Public Holidays from your sidebar to view upcoming holidays and start blocking.
No additional setup required. Your jurisdiction is detected automatically from your business address.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which states and territories are supported?
All eight Australian jurisdictions: NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, WA, TAS, NT, and ACT. Both national and state-specific holidays are included.
Can I add custom closure days that are not public holidays?
Yes. The existing blocked time functionality handles custom closures. Public Holidays Management adds automatic population and one-click application specifically for official public holidays.
Does blocking a public holiday cancel existing appointments?
No. Blocking a day warns you about existing appointments but does not automatically cancel them. You review and reschedule manually so no client is left without notice.
Can I charge different rates on public holidays?
Holiday pricing is managed through your service pricing settings. Public Holidays Management handles the scheduling side: ensuring your calendar correctly reflects which days you are open, closed, or running reduced capacity.
Related Petboost Features
- Scheduling & Booking: The core scheduling engine with conflict detection and capacity management
- Pro Automations: Automate reminders, confirmations, and payments
- Mission Control: Your daily operational command centre
